Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1924 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more

Download & Play

Questions

Newspaper Page Text

mmmmmgmmmsmms
"CRAFT .CONTROVERSY CAN BE REMOVED BY
UNIT-ORGANIZATION OF INDUSTRY!"
SAY A. F. OF L. INSURGENTS
Seattle, Wash., Nov. 13.- Craft
controversy, the biggest thorn in the
whole side of organized labor, can be
removed at the convention of the
American Federation of Labor, now
-in session here, according to state
ments enthusiastically made by the
labor insurgents.
"Organization by industries," is the
.key they offer to the present situa
tion. The United Mine Workers of Amer
ica is such an ideal organization. It
includes every man who works in
-any about a mine. The other ex
treme is seen in a locomotive works
.where every trade is organized under
a different international union.
The reactionaries, who stjll favor
craft-organization, have just had a
fine object lesson when 150 men went
on strike on the L. C. Smith building,
Seattle's new 42-story skyscraper, be
cause of a quarrel between the car
penters and sheet metal workers
over the subject of jurisdiction.
The metal workers contended the
door and window work being put in
by the carpenters should be done by
them. The electrical workers, plas
terers and brick masons went out
with the sheet metal workers. The
plumbers, steam fitters and hoisting
engineers stayed on the job.
"How can labor hope to make
headway with situations like this on
our hands," -said J. G. Brown, inter
national president of the shingle
weavers, mill workers and .woods
men. "In our union, which is indus
trial in form, no such controversy
can arise. How much better it would
be if ALL the men who build a mod
ern skyscraper belonged to one or
ganization." Two steps toward industrial or
ganization have already been taken
at this convention in the metal trades
department. Here the insurgents
have just put through a change in tie
by-laws which calls all unions on
strike in case one union is discrimin
ated against by an employer who has
several crafts In his single shop. The
other step is a provision that each in
ternational supply an organizer to
work under the rules of the metal
trades department, so organization
may be carried on as a unit instead of
being duplicated by each craft.
O 0
Porter May I call you a taxi,
lady?
Swell Dame No, I don't wish to
be called a taxi, nor anything else
least of all by you, sir!
o o-.
INDIANAPOLIS CAR TROUBLE
Indianapolis, Ind., Nov. 13. De
mands for higher wages, extra pay
for overtime, arbitration of future
grievances and recognition of the
employes' right to organize have
been made on the Indianapolis Trac
tion Co. The company has ten days
in which to reply to the men's de
mands. If an adjustment is not
agreed to by both sides, the differ
ences will then be taken up with the
public service commission. Several
interurban lines, to avoid a strike,
have made a similar agreement with
their employes
IfUfffflffj,!,